Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Goodwin . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Through my own personal work experiences and my clients sharing what they appreciate from me compared to corporate companies that run spas, I see that the client becomes a dollar amount. Time is money but that concept gets pushed to the limits to a point where it dampens the clients’ experience. 

Yes, time is money in business but there’s a balance. I’ve seen it and worked in this setting over and over where they want to squeeze in everything they can to press the amount of time the client is in and the amount of money they spend. This ends up making the client and the service provider feel like they are under a time crunch, giving a rushed feeling to the whole appointment.

I often get client feedback that they love to come in and feel comfortable, heard and that they aren’t being pushed out the door the moment their service time is technically over. These types of services are something someone looks forward to all month, they’ve set time aside from their lives and their busy schedules to come in, and typically are coming in to work on something that might bring them insecurities. No one wants to feel like they need to hurry when they are discussing things like that. I strive to provide a comfortable, inviting and safe space for my clients and after venturing into my own business I knew that I wanted to create an experience where it felt like time stopped for a moment so clients could enjoy some well deserved self care.

On the service providers end of things it runs people down. Having tons of expectations squeezed into one hour and not having time to even step out to the restroom. There’s a lot of moving parts that go into each session. Giving your clients time to get comfortable, providing the service, giving them time to get dressed and out of the room, giving them the rundown of recommendations for products and future treatments, cleaning your space, disinfecting tools, resetting the space for the next client. Most corporate spas only give you 5 minutes after the client steps out of the room (if they step out in time) to take care of all of that. To me this just isn’t enough time to give a good experience. It creates rushed energy that the clients can feel. 

Overall what I find sets apart a private studio run by a solo esthetician compared to a corporate spa is the attention to the clients experience rather than focusing solely on the numbers.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Im a cat lover, foodie and creative soul. I found my passion for the esthetics industry starting work in sales at a spa about 8 years ago. I struggled with acne at the time and wanted to find a solution for myself and decided to see an esthetician . I really enjoy understanding how things work and skin peaked my interest. I didn’t want to just be told what the esthetician thought would be great for for my skin when it came to products and treatments. I wanted to understand why the problems I was encountering were happening, why the acne was forming and why the products would help it. I was kind of a lost 20 something year old at the time trying to find my niche and took the leap to enroll in esthetics school. This ended up being a really great fit for me. After working for several spas I knew I wanted to run my own private studio so I could have more control on the services, details and experience I was providing to clients.

One of my main goals was to focus in acne, I know the struggles it can bring and the hindrance it can have on your self confidence. I became a certified acne specialist to expand my knowledge and really be able to help people through their acne journey. Theres so much misinformation about it and how to treat it, becoming an acne specialist has helped me to bring a more holistic approach to clearing acne rather than the typical dermatologist approach of prescriptions and harsh topicals that are only treating it from the surface.

I provide result driven treatments in a relaxing environment so you can get the best of both worlds. Treating things like hyperpigmentation, uneven tone, wrinkles, acne and acne scarring.

My most popular services usually include dermaplaning, this modality gives clients an instant glow that never gets old!
Some other client favorites are lash lifts, brow laminations and tinting, which are great ways to perk up your lashes and brows with out extensions or permanent makeup.

Im proud of the environment I’ve created for my clients to come into, it’s a comfortable, cozy and safe space that people chose to trust me with their skin in. That’s one of the most important things for me.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word of mouth

If you listen, provide a great experience and show up with the results your clients are looking for they are going to talk about you to the people they have love for. You will be on their mind when someone they know needs a recommendation! This has been the best thing for my business.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I offer an open line of communication within my own boundaries. I want my clients to know we’ve built a relationship and that I’m here for them. If they are having a reaction to a product or an acne flare up they know that I’m just a text or email away. I provide whatever help I can to get them through it and calm any worries.

Contact Info:

• Website: agoodesthetics.com
• Instagram: @ag_esthetics_
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/agoodesthetics/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ag-esthetics-spring